Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed pleasant surprise at India's choice to include Sanju Samson in the playing XI for their Asia Cup 2025 clash against UAE on Wednesday, September 10. He praised coach Gautam Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, noting that the current team management appears to have strong confidence in the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman's abilities.